Ways to Get in Shape for the White Dress

Mirella Cameran

As a bride, the goal of losing weight and getting in shape for the big day, seems to be one of the most difficult things of all to achieve and can cast a gloomy pall over the whole wedding planning process.

But it shouldn’t be the miserable experience you expect it to be. If you pick the right program, it should be a confidence building, feel-good experience. Still don’t believe it? Read what these local fitness gurus had to say about getting fit for your wedding day.

Jonas Deffes, owner and head instructor of New Orleans Adventure Boot Camp, on the benefits of his program: “There are lots of programs, which will get you in shape, build muscle and work you out. However, I developed this program because women want to lose fat in specific areas such as arms, legs, stomach and mid-section.

“We have had great results with many brides who have come to us because they want to look really toned on their wedding day and with the boot camp we see on average a 5 to 12 pound weight loss and a 3 to 5 percent reduction in body fat, within the first month.

“The reason this works so well is because we use exercises specifically to boost the metabolism and help the body burn more calories and more fat.

“You will also increase your strength and endurance by about 25 percent as well and we give advice on healthy eating without dieting.

“The group atmosphere of the boot camp is also really motivating, and I encourage all brides to find a partner or a group to work out with, whatever exercise program they are following. It’s far easier to stick to it if you have others to encourage you and vice versa.

“If brides are serious about getting fit and toned, they should give themselves two or three months. You’ll see a big difference after a month, but other people will start noticing by about two months in. By three, you’ll be in great shape.
“Some people need to go five days a week because if they skip a day they will probably end up skipping two and might not come back. They need the daily habit.

“If you can be disciplined to come three days a week and you can dial in good nutrition, you should be fine.”

For more information contact New Orleans Adventure Boot Camp for Women by phone at 292-1981 or find them online at nolabootcamp.com. The boot camp takes place Uptown, in the Lakeview area and on the West Bank, five days a week from 5:30 a.m. until 6:30 a.m.

Leilani Heno, owner of X-Trainers, on why brides should train with her personal training company: “I’ve tried it. Fad dieting doesn’t work. You have to change the way you exercise and what you eat, so you can lose the weight and keep it off.

“A bride should determine how much weight she wants to lose and then start the program in enough time. On average, people lose about 4 pounds a month, so for 20 pounds, a bride should start about five months out.

“We offer more than just exercise; clients need nutritional advice with body fat and metabolism analysis. This enables us to ensure clients lose the right amount of fat to be healthy.

“We also show people how to eat out in restaurants and how to cook at home, so they can live a normal life without gaining the weight back.

“We have a proprietary formula called PV2. It reminds clients they should have one portion of protein with two portions of vegetables for every meal.

“Each portion should be the size of their hand and clients should eat five times a day, every three hours to, keep their metabolism up.

“We also specifically design our program to include plyometric exercises – which are dynamic cardiovascular moves. They get your heart going and raise your metabolism for up to 24 hours after you work out.

“Everybody is different and has different goals, so we devise a personal plan for each client based on them working out for one hour, twice a week.

“We have a 91 percent success rate and we also offer a lifetime guarantee. If you train with us for a year and you gain 10 pounds or more, you can train for free for a month to get back in shape.”

Learn more about X-Trainers at their location in the American Can Apartments at 3700 Orleans Ave., or by calling 482-2FIT. Get more details atx-trainers.com.

Wendy DiFulco, owner of The Bouari Clinic in Metairie, talks about how her clinic can get you ready for the big day: “The beauty of this program is that it works for everyone and is all-natural. It’s based on keeping your blood sugar steady by eating four to six clean, nutrient-heavy meals and snacks a day.

“First, there’s a proprietary oral sublingual spray made up of herbs and botanicals which is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Each ingredient is known to support weight loss. In addition, it supports your eliminatory organs, flushes out toxins and improves your hormonal balance.

“There’s also a great B12 product which promotes energy, increases your metabolism and decreases the homocysteine in your body which is linked to heart disease. It also improves your mood and feelings of well-being.

“There are many reasons why this program is so great for a bride or a bridal party. First, it makes you feel good, reduces feelings of stress and gives you more energy; which is obviously exactly what a bride needs.

“Second, by flushing out the toxins, your hair and skin look great too.

“These are just the additional benefits, however. The system shows you how to eat well, lose weight and become healthier by lowering your BMI and body fat.

“Part of the reason Bouari is so good for you, is that it helps you to lose the fat cells that your body usually holds on to. When you first lose weight you lose the normal fat cells, but then you go on to lose the structural fat cells. The problem is we need these to fill out our faces and cheeks and to support the heels on our feet and elsewhere. If we lose this kind of structural fat, we look gaunt and our eyes sunken.

“What we want to lose are the secondary fat cells, the adipose ones that cause obesity. The Bouari system targets these cells.

“In addition, the scales are your friend when you are on the program, because you start losing instantly. For women, it’s on average of half a pound a day; for men, its approximately 0.93 pounds a day. I’ve seen people lose 15 to 20 pounds in a month and up to 70 pounds in two months; so it’s rapid but safe.

“We’ve had so many brides do so well that they have had to swap their dresses for smaller sizes and they have learnt how to keep the weight off for their new married life.”

For more information, visit The Bouari Clinic at 4621 W. Napolean Ave., Suite 209, in Metairie, or give them a call at 293-1655. You can also visit their website atlouisiana.bouariclinic.com.

Stephanie Coulon, Marketing Manager at Stone Creek Club & Spa, talks about the club’s InBody Analyzer, a system of body composition technology, used by professional athletes: “The Analyser provides a complete snapshot of which body parts need improvement, which are strong, weak, how much fat you need to lose, how much muscle to gain, your hydration level and your basal metabolic rate (calories burned at rest).

“It only takes 15 minutes and enables the trainers and nutritionists at Stone Creek to devise the right program to help you meet your goals.

“Once you know what you need to do, you can set yourself to work in the spacious strength training and cardio areas that include a new eSpinner, a virtual Spinning class; or you can opt for personal training.

“If your fiancé wants to lose a few pounds, you might chose our ‘Nutrition for Two’ program devised to get you both eating healthily, or the detox to cleanse your body and detox your liver and kidneys before the big day. Members and non-members are welcome.”

For more information Stop by Stone Creek at 1201 Ochsner Blvd. in Covington, or call the club at (985) 801-7100. You can also check out Stone Creek online at stonecreekclubandspa.com.